Full Sail Black Gold Imperial Stout Bourbon Barrel Aged

Brewed by Full Sail Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout
Hood River, Oregon USA

Bottle. Black colour with a medium brown head. Fruity, wood, vanilla, whisky aroma and taste. Full body with a long wood, vanilla finish.

Aroma was strong, very buttery, with a surprisingly backseat bourbon. The oak really took the front seat here, though too much so. More subdued in the flavor, the oak was overcome by the bourbon (much like in most bourbon beers), which in typical fashion blocked most of nuances of the beer in the name of brute force. Went down pretty easy for 10.5%.

Bottled. Pitch black coloured. Light brown head. Fruits, liqourice, cocoa, alcohol and spices in the aroma. Flavour is light "old". Ripe fruits and dust. Alcohol, cocoa and chocolate. Light roast. Medium bodied. Is a bit unbalanced. Ends on a ligt roasted note.

Bottle. Black coloured with a beige head. Roasted aroma of bourbon and wood. Roasted flavour of wood and vanilla.

Bottle (650ml). Shared with blankboy, mds and tupalev, blankboy’s bottle. Okay, this is good stuff, yeah, but I am SICK of rating beer and smelling/tasting bourbon - ENOUGH ALREADY! Poured opaque ruby-black with an average creamy tan head. Aroma of bourbon, wood, vanilla, dark roast malt and booze - really sweet. Taste is sweet, also vanilla, oak, bourbon, alcohol - elements of chocolate, spice and dark fruit, really soft and complex. Thick, creamy body, astringent, only light carbonation, has a nice roasty spicy finish, once all the bourbon burns off - very nice, very vanilla ... I’d like to try the regular version of this one. I’m knocking off 2 points from the final score ’cause I’m pretty sure it was the bourbon that make me barf about an hour later.

Wow, what a huge offering from acertain. This one is ebony, with no apparent light transmittance, and a 1-finger tan head. Definite 5 for appearance. The aroma is marvelous and hefty, oaky, bourbony, with big roasty malt and chocoff, reminding me of Great Divide BA Yeti plus some Heresy and Founders Kentucky Breakfast aromas. The flavor is on the dry side, with a pronounced oak and bourbon flavor, plus cognac, some vanilla, and subdued chocolate. The entire beer retains a rather hard liquory taste and palate, but retains a solid complexity, like a fine scotch. Does get hot, but as many have stated before, you’ll be used to it by the time you get to the end of the beer.

My absolute favorite beer at GABF this year, the perfect balance of Imperial Stout with Bourbon, not too sweet, not too bourbony. By far the best balanced Bourbon-barrel aged offering at the show. I was validated when it took 2nd place.

bottle. compliment of glkaiser. thanks buddy. black pour with thin tiny bubbled head. big time bourbon aroma. I love bourbon. great great aroma. liquorice, maybe some raison, a little bit of coffee and chocolate but dominant bourbon aroma. wow. huge malts, great vanilla, rich chocolate with the bourbon warmth. chocolate finish with the bourbon sticking to your lips. this is the ultimate in by book. all the flavors are full and rich. no cheap tastes in this beer. Im in love! This is my first twenty!